Grazed
by obita
Summary: Naruto never seemed to get it, no matter what he said, why would Sasuke drop everything and go back to the place he betrayed? Yet, she wouldn't have it any other way would she? She liked to believe, someday, Naruto could reach Sasuke like he's reached so many, like he's made many change. (I do not own Naruto)


**Grazed**

Her hands shook uncontrollably. Windy and disproportionate weather threatened to dismantle the battle worn ground beneath Sakura's crouched form. Dust particles flew in every direction and rocks disintegrated as Naruto and Sasuke met in another death defining blow. Another, kick, another punch. Each strike leaving the heat of opposing forces at a clash. The sensation, though she was more than a few feet away from the battle, graced her back. The sole of her boot snapped, she felt her shirt ripped around her lower back, her head a tangles pink mess, and three of her fingers numb. Healing Chakra glazed her fingers as she continued to extend and lace the damaged tissue, the torn muscles, dislodging them from their unnatural position around the stomach. Blood dripped in every direction, aided by her Charka, to begin its sealing function on Karin's body. Her eyes opened once in a while drowned in delirium, maybe even, still, disbelief. Sasuke, the love of her life, had after all, pierced right through her with his was he? She mumbled inaudibly. That was just her imagination, Sasuke would never do that, surely it was a genjutsu, an illusion placed by the enemy to turn them against each other. At least, that's what she tried to convince herself happened. It was easier than believing he used her to strike through the very man that ordered his family's death, ? Another heat wave and the sound of sharp metal meeting at high speed, unseasant. From time to time Karin was grateful she felt nothing and even when she felt something; it was not the bloody mess of organs, violently ripped apart. Not rearranged carefully by Sakura, she knew Sasuke's old teammate. But still painfully, the veins disarray, or not even the hysteria followed by Sasuke stabbing her, using her. She felt the cooling sensation of droplets of water hitting her sides; it helped her drift away from the discomfort.

It had never occurred to Sakura the deadly extent which Sasuke was willing to reach in his quest for power. Even disposing of his own newly found teammate in order to achieve concentrated on the tissue and veins. The heat on her back settled once again, even closer, warmer. Her Charka was diminishing by the minute, pieces of wood were tattered here and there through Karin's stomach, and the possibility of serious infection was high but Sakura resolved to work quickly to close the wound even as the ground around them grumbled. She proceeded to dip her tantō (short katana) with anesthetic Chakra just as Tsunade had instructed her once in order to allow deeper incision without torturing the palm was at Karin's temple, and with a quick and precise rush of controlled chakra her head fell back, asleep. One quick incision near the hip was all Sakura needed to proceed, and then she tore pieces of Karin's clothing as they enabled her work, starting with her beige high collar. Her brows knit together in a mixture of disgust and sympathy. Karin's upper half body was covered in bite marks that formed various purplish circles. After some other necessary incisions, their function became concluded they emulated an ulcer, trapping pieces of Karin's life energy in absorbable and swollen pockets of tissue. A rather perverse and gruesome energy boost for her comrades, for Sasuke. Very befitting of Orochimaru's creation

.Karin's body perturbed her to the core. Another layer of skin was successfully knit and using a senbon, Sakura removed pieces of wood and metal chipped at every angle. How could Sasuke do this to this woman? Still Karin's remaining petruding insides gave Sakura the need to vomit. Blood stopped gushing out, the prolonged use of her chakra through her hands rendering them removed the bite marks rapidly after the final layer sealed her stomach, and a pink layer glimmered in Karin's stomach, just enough to exhaust her and rid her of her chakra almost completely, still its appearance put Sakura at ease if only for a moment before deciding to peek at Naruto and Sasuke's fight. Their destructive battle allowing some protection for her surgery on Karin even within the small cave of a collapsing pillar resting over a vertically ,ancient, climbed the tree after securing Karin behind two small pillars, away from view, and without consciousness and no charka flowing in her, untraceable. At least, Naruto was always there to protect her, always. Though it became evident and unbelievable to Sakura that this new Sasuke did not settle for defeating his enemies anymore, rather destroying them seemed his new found relief, surely one he viewed as valuable practice for when the day finally came and he killed his older brother as much as she believed she loved him, she could not spare a look at this monster. Why again were they trying to bring him back to Konoha, home? Sakura limped her way through the gravel, particles of dirt cleared and she devised two figures far away, speaking. She could not hear. Naruto never seemed to get it, no matter what he said why Sasuke would drop everything and go back to the place he betrayed. Yet, she wouldn't have it other way could she? She liked to believe someday, Naruto could reach Sasuke like he's reached so many, like he's made many change. Couldn't Naruto see Sasuke wasn't the same, wasn't the same team 7 member, the dark raven young boy they knew before? He was merciless, and only spoke directly to strength, only praised power. He wasn't one to live for his family now dead, for his friends, now betrayed, for his love, inexistent, for his team, his holdback, for his village , his only religion was 's words of hope, of strength, of values, unffaced him. Reminded him only of his weaknesses.

They clashed again one more time, the heat embedded into the very atmosphere. It was bone chilling for Sakura, as she watched another pulse at exhausted bodies, one of the boy she once loved and grew to hate, and the boy she hated and grew to love, to depend on. Depend on, because she wasn't strong enough to deal with her own promises, Sakura thought. Her feet began to move closer to the impact zone, and stopped curtly. This time, Naruto did not surprise her, as he always did, with an incredible feat of physical or supernatural technique or strength, but as the last gust of wind the growing dawn could muster flew by, Naruto's torso crocked on the ground became visible to couldn't even find it in her voice to scream. She was at his side in seconds, fixing his body in a position for healing, though she had no charka her relief, his nine tailed fox chakra began to curse though his body , covering and successfully burning her skin, mending him. She directed her view at her new source of pain and hate.

Sasuke, a minute in shock, registered Naruto's body, encircled by red chakra, he had not killed him, not yet. His head spun momentarily before he indulged in the final blow, Naruto had managed to reach his own skull, flinging his head repeatedly to the verge of unconconsciousness, but not enough to dismiss Sakura's form slowly, weakly approaching him, as he lay though the gravel grasping his head, reaching discreetly for his felt his wet clothes clinging to him, the concrete on his feet, and finally Sakura's equally solid, equally cold, equally chakra rid punch against his jaw. Weak but nonetheless pain gripping, easily avoidable, but for some unknown and maybe only human reason at the back of his mind he felt he deserved it, but shaded this thought away.

"Why?!" she jumped him, grabbed his hair, collisioned him onto the concrete, echoing her question several times. After several minutes she couldn't even move, but felt little pulses of her chakra returning to her, still she stayed atop of him, maybe even hoping to crush him under her wait knowing its impossibility.

"Why What?" He laughed, her irritation amusing her.

"No, I know why, how? How can you do this to your team? How can you do this to Naruto who has been nothing but a friend to you! What are you going to do after you kill your brother, huh? Die as well? Answer me! How can you hurt Naruto this way, his whole reason of being is to change people those who are what you've become! "She head-butted him out of frustration.

He remained silent. As she leaned in exhaustion on his forehead, her eyes burning him.

"Do I have no option then, to kill you?" she inched her index and ring finger to his neck, conjuring her chakra scalpel, which thankfully required precise, but not a huge amount of chakra.

"Can you?"

Before she could answer he unsheded his katana, hitting her stomach with the hilt violently enough to send her flying a few inches, as he hovered over her. He threatened her with the tip of his blade as Sakura clutched her stomach.

"Don't move or I cut"

He hovered closer, leaning over her and as she tried to cut him with her scalpel, embedded his katana through her couldn't even hear her own screams. Sasuke's Katana released it poison, paralyzing her completely. He left the Katana at its place, inching closer over her. Observing her, delicately removing traces of dirt from her cheeks, even leaves from her hair.

"You claim Naruto changes people, he has yet to change himself." He spit blood somewhere behind him.

"Even you, with your new set of medical skills change nothing. The only way you'll bring me back to Konoha is in a coffin."

She moved her face slowly away from him, Sasuke pretended to be unfazed by her movements.

"I have a resistance to poisons as well."

"Stop, I'll really kill you, just like Karin, an expandable pawn."

"How can you say that? If you've truly become what you seek to destroy Sasuke, then why are you stopping me?"

He inched even closer straddling her legs and arms, removing his sword from her knee. Wincing violently, Sakura watched him close the blade on her, to her neck.

"I do it out of pity. For the weak. And No, I'm nothing like him. The only reason I won't kill you and Naruto right here is so I don't become like him, but if you get in my way, I will, I won't regret it.I'm not a mass murderer"

She felt her limbs again. "No, you are even more just like him when you say that. Murder or mass murder is the same to me "He put his whole weight on her and Sakura watched his teeth flare in irritation.

"Do you want me to really hurt you Sakura?"He whispered in her ear.

"Haven't you already?"

" 't you feel guilty, making Naruto a part of the promise of bringing me back?"

"No, he claims he does it out of duty." She retorted, refusing to let him get to her.

"Does he now? It's obvious he loves you and what better way to make you happy than bringing me to Konoha, Happy team 7 again. But you are cruel. Sending him every time, to possible death? To that!" he pointed at Naruto's battered body.

"What a burden!"

She turned her face away, pushing Sasuke weakly and unsuccessfully

"And all you do is cry, yet you still expect him to bring me back. "She felt selfish enough watching Naruto after very mission to bring Sasuke Back , but with Sasuke beating her down with it , it felt more real, less avoidable than if she kept the ordeal in her head.

"Do you know what it feels to be helpless Sakura? Do you want to know why I left?"Sakura couldn't answer, anxiety and the acute pain directed at her knee cap, the splitting of muscle and bone, welling up in her stomach, suffocating her and even more Sasuke's body language. On the ground, grinding her nails through the debris and dirt, she went limp once again ,hearing Sasuke's voice come in muffled instances, but she connected the sentences together and tensed once again when Sasuke removed his sword from her leg in the most violent of manner. Inching towards Naruto's unconscious form, Sasuke knew exactly what he was doing, its fatality, but he needed a filter for the never understood what it felt to be helpless, powerless, unable.

" yes, he's suffered loneliness, but never helplessness , how can he ?with the nine tails as his endless supply of energy" he continued to explain to a delirious Sakura who held her knee refusing to heal the damage to reserve 's sandals gliding through the concrete scared her.

"Stop "her voice rasp, incomprehensible.

"Naruto didn't understand you can Sakura"

"Please...please. No"

"I'll teach you what I lived." Face red, palms sweeting, Sakura wanted to feel numb.

"See if having friends is enough for you, if anything will ever be enough for you."

With slightly cut fingers, Sasuke held his blade to Naruto's neck, as his junkihiri chakra licked his skin, the demon trying to in her position threw herself out to Naruto, so far away, a few inches away as she fell. Blood splattered in her face as Sasuke made a horizontal cut. A part of him didn't want to kill him, he wouldn't. This same part told him he wanted to see Naruto in pain, out of anger, desperation, wanted to collapse that brightness in him out of envy, just like it had been taken from him. And wanted to see someone,Sakura so lucky ,so arrogant, so pure, suffer like him, to be able to relate to him, even a darker side ,to drive her crazy as he stabbed Naruto repeatedly,.Sakura never stopped watching Naruto,her voice failing her, did not even blink when Sasuke grabbed the hem of his sleeve an in one swift move removed the blood of his Katana and onto Sakura petrified didn't even flinch, did not continued to make incisions ,Sakura .others she just watched,coundn't stop watching, did not even reach to clean the dried blood of her face. As she watched Sasuke yet again making hollow marks on Naruto's body, her unhygienic state felt like a comfort, especially when a medic like her had become her forsworn enemy.

"I won't kill him until I feel your chakra rise, until you can save him from a fatal wound."

Incessant Sakura though ,the desesperation,her throat like kunai, her drawn fingers unable to touch Naruto, one finger broken, her right leg a dead weight in friction with the pebbles ,the ground, the edges. Sasuke continued, watched a Naruto's chakra collided with his skin, even the junkihiri unable to patch him in time. She crawled, fingered her way to Naruto to no avail. Sasuke had already inflicted the deepest of wounds,Sakura had felt helpless in power at the sight of her team, Naruto with his endless supply of chakra and unwavering will, Sasuke with his flawless techniques and revenge driven dedication, but never quite like was a different kind of helplessness that never ceased to remind her how powerless she felt and in reality was, even with her study of medicine, her newly acquired skills were of little help when pitted against combatants that were along Naruto's or Sasuke's ranks. Sasuke stopped his attacks on Naruto, cleaning his katana one last time, his eyes were fixed in a point above Sakura's head unable to look at her directly as she draped herself over Naruto's body weekly and used the last drops of her chakra to heal his deepest wounds. The wounds he now couldn't believe he inflicted. It wasn't necessarily a just cause Sasuke decided, Naruto wasn't even awake, but as he braced his eyes to look at Sakura's tear-filled ones he felt understood, felt horrible, felt guilty, felt her eyes like daggers thought him. Did he really feel understood? Feared? Hated? Sasuke didn't want to tell himself that his actions were a spoiled fit of rage, and as he walked away holding his wounded side, he couldn't help shiver at the muffled noise Sakura made, too chocked to speak, or blink and the unwavering sound of her shaky fingers, as he pictured them, removing Naruto's bloody clothing to unable her access to his wounds. He disappeared, he forgot. He abandoned his 's eyebrows creased in worry and she felt her face do a revolution of worry, rage and sadness all at an unphysical able movement. She felt hyperventilation settling in her, Naruto wasn't responding, not even breathing, and to her bewilderment, his junkihiri chakra fell lazily through his body, not even fighting her chakra as it instinctly would

.her chakra felt inexistent, it was like dehydration to the body the depletion of chakra, and she felt her lips beyond chopped her tears dry. The chock seemed never ending of her mind, but just as she gripped Naruto's insides she fell back into reality, into the technical, and she felt so far away from even though she had loved him to no end, she had decided they would not be the same, he had inflicted just a small portion of understanding in her , but he fueled the rest of her rage, of her unstableness, and her resolve to protect Naruto, just as he had always protected her, take the burden of his promise with her. Now she felt she could bring herself to kill Sasuke, without hesitation.


End file.
